"Ease is the enemy of the artist. When things get too easy, you're in trouble."-Chuck Close
"The idea that a war can be won by standing on the defensive and waiting for the enemy to attack is a dangerous fallacy, which owes its inception to the desire to evade the price of victory."-Douglas Haig
The storm front moved in early in the week and the rain continued to punish the colony. Muddy footsteps tracked through the lobby and halls of the castle, her court carrying on with their business even as their own Queen secretly remained Human in the penthouse high above them. The squeaking of soggy footsteps in the hallway outside the lab grated on her nerves. There was so much work and nobody else she could trust with the knowledge that helping her would bring. She was alone in this and doubt filled her. Lauren tore her eyes away from the microscope and threw the slide in the garbage. This was never going to work. Another dead slide. Another hour wasted. She looked at the clock on the wall and slipped out of her lab coat. Hanging it by the door, she retreated to the penthouse for lunch. The doctor, stoic at best, met Bo in the living room with a forced smile.
"You're back early," Bo said. "Is everything okay?"
Lauren dropped onto the sofa beside Bo and leaned into her side. She sighed. "I don't know anymore."
Bo covered Lauren's hand with her own. "I'm sure it's not such a big thing."
"Bo." She drew in a long breath. "I don't know how to say this…"
She squeezed Lauren's hand. "You can tell me anything."
"This…" She shook her head. "Okay… Bo," she held her breath. "I think I'm in over my head."
"Is this about your Coronation?"
Lauren dropped her gaze to their hands and, chin to chest, she swallowed hard. "I don't think I can give you back your Fae."
Bo's face fell and Lauren squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't bear to see Bo's despair but when she opened her eyes Bo was smiling at her. "It may seem hopeless now," she patted her hand, "but I know you can do this." Bo's hopeful expression broke her heart. "I believe in you, Lauren."
Kenzi roamed the halls after Dyson dismissed her from her duties upstairs. She thought of Oren and their brief but important relationship and how she screwed it up. She had witnessed the fear in the Queen's eyes for herself today and knew that was what she must have looked like to Oren when she accidentally broke up with him. She may not have understood what it was like to face mortality after a hundred years of living, but she could certainly relate to the dread of dying alone.
She could hear voices, boisterous laughing and the clanking of dishes, Kenzi was near the pub and, all things considered, she could use a drink. Turning the corner, she arrived at its entrance. Mostly men crowded the room, though there were a few female Fae in the mix. There was an uproar from the back of the room and she cast her gaze upon him then; Oren sat around a table with the other Human refugee soldiers, drinking.
She walked to the bar and ordered a pint, and leaning against the wooden counter, she took her first sip. The cold balance of hops and barley was just what she needed. Kenzi sighed and followed Oren with her eyes until he felt her gawking at him. The smile on his face faded away and he held up his hands to his friends as he got to his feet and crossed the distance between them.
"You shouldn't stare," he said.
She laughed and looked into her beer. "Sorry."
Oren put his foot up on the foot rest against the bar. "What are you doing here?"
Kenzi scoffed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you got the pub in our break up."
"That's not what I meant," Oren said, looking at his feet. "You just never come here unless you're upset."
She looked at him for a long moment before staring off into the crowd of revelers. "I needed to be around people tonight."
"What's wrong?" She shook her head. "Kenzi, what is it?" He asked again.
"I messed up, Oren," she sighed. "I miss you."
He made a noise. "I knew you'd do this." He turned to leave.
"Wait." She put her hand on his arm. "I wanna be with you."
Oren looked at her. "You blew it, Kenzi."
"So you don't believe in second chances."
He shook his head. "Not if you're just going to leave again. I'd rather drink until sun up with my boys over there than have you stomp out my fire for you again."
She touched his arm again. "Really?"
Oren chuckled. "Kenzi, it's been a week."
She smiled. "So you're not over me?"
"I think about you every morning when I wake up, hoping that I'll see you and every night I fall asleep grateful that I did."
Kenzi's face flushed with emotion and she dropped her pint on the bar, reaching for him. She pressed her lips against his and, gripping his shoulders, she felt safe. He was a steady rock amidst quicksand. Even the chaos made sense in his arms and even if it didn't, she pretended that it did.
His fingers squeezed her waist and he pushed her away and ran a hand through his hair. "That wasn't a come on, Kenzi," he said.
"Oren…"
"I should go." He looked over his shoulder. "My friends are waiting for me."
The phone in the lab rang. Lauren sighed snapped her latex gloves off her hands and answered by the third ring.
"Lauren? Something's happened. I need you up here," Bo said breathlessly.
Lauren clutched the phone. "What is it? Are you okay? Is Dyson hurt?"
"Please just come quick." The line went dead.
"Shit!" Lauren scooped her keys off the counter, locking the door and heading for the elevators, a brisk walk at first and then she began to run. Her shadow guards ran behind her and barely caught the elevator as she pushed the buttons madly. She tried to catch her breath before the elevator doors opened again because there was no way to tell what awaited her. The car dinged and she charged into the apartment.
Dyson stood at attention by the elevator, but was alarmed by the fear in Lauren's expression. "Where is she?" she breathed.
"Bedroom," Dyson gruffed. "What's wrong?"
She burst into the bedroom to find Bo on the bed. Dyson stopped in the doorway. "What's going on?" Lauren said, swallowing another gasp of air.
Bo looked at Lauren with concern in her eyes. "I was reading and then I got the strangest feeling in my body." She held her hands out in front of her. "It was an electric fizz, like tiny bubbles beneath my skin."
Lauren lifted a stethoscope from the dresser. "Do you still feel it?" Bo shook her head. "What did you do?"
"I ran in here and called you. Then as I was looking in the mirror, it happened."
She held the stethoscope against Bo's chest. "What did?"
"My eyes, they were blue."
Lauren was sure her heart stopped quite literally for three beats and she sucked in a breath. "It's back?"
Bo's smile radiated. "I think so."
The sudden return of Bo's Fae powers should have been expected, considering the first version of the serum. Lauren had been sure the inclusion of organic samples would have made the serum work permanently, but she had been wrong. She had hoped that it wouldn't come to an individualized dose based on the recipient's DNA which added weeks or months to the production time. Not to mention the added hurdle of obtaining a sample in the first place, but none of that mattered in the long run. Lauren would be destroying the only dose of the serum and taking her research to be sealed away in a safe far below the castle's foundation. Her pride wasn't worth the heartache of reliving the last few days over again.
From the large four poster bed, Lauren stared through the ensuite bathroom door, propping her head up with a hand. The curves of Bo's body that appeared and disappeared through the open door were still enticing, even after spending most of the afternoon in bed together. The Queen called it a celebration, ushering Lauren to the heights of arousal three times before retreating to the shower.
Bo walked out of the bathroom, drying her long hair with a towel, a cloud of steam following her naked body. She smiled brilliantly as she arrived at the closet door.
"Feeling better?" Lauren asked, stretching her legs under the blankets.
"Much," Bo replied with a smile, fastening a bra around her body and pulling some clothes from the hangers. She turned then and looked at Lauren, reclining in the bed, her hair a disheveled mess that just made her all the more attractive. The Queen moved to the bed, unable to resist. She knelt on the mattress and leaned over Lauren, kissing her softly, but not without purpose. "I'm sorry," she whispered, sitting up again.
Lauren frowned and sat up as well. "Sorry for what?"
"For going out."
Lauren held up a hand. "Please, you haven't fed for days," she said with a strained smile. "I understand."
The Queen's smile was arresting. "I think being followed around by this guard detail might cramp my style, though." Lauren smirked and looked at her lap. Bo tucked some hair behind Lauren's ear and stroked her cheek with the back of her fingers. "I have never, in all my years, ever met a Human as remarkable as you," she said, her eyes holding Lauren's captive.
Lauren blinked, trying to control the tightness in her chest. "But I didn't do anything," she said and Bo leaned forward again, her lips warm again Lauren's.
"Nonsense." Bo smiled. "You did everything."
Thunder rumbled through the penthouse. Lauren crossed her arms and looked out over the castle grounds and the lights of the city below. The rain still pounded the glass in front of her, the lightning illuminating her as it flashed in time. She breathed in, her eyes closing, and released it again. She was relieved, but didn't get the warmest feeling from the fact it was because she had failed.
"Never thought I'd be so glad that you suck at your job, Doc." Kenzi's voice was muffled by the fridge as she rummaged around until she pulled out a fruit tray.
"I don't- Science is often unpredictable despite the every precaution taken- Nevermind." She sighed and turned toward the kitchen. "That was close, Kenz. So close."
Lauren sat at the island in the kitchen and picked a strawberry from the tray. Kenzi chewed thoughtfully on a grape. "Tell me about it. Where is the reborn Queen, anyway?"
"She's…" Lauren swallowed and paused to gather her words. "Out… you know, for dinner."
Kenzi frowned until the words registered in her head. "Oh… right." She popped another grape in her mouth. "So, um… how is she now that she's seen the other side?"
Lauren smirked. "Appreciative."
"So can we expect a kinder, gentler Queen in the future?"
"She is still Bo."
"And thank dog for that!" Kenzi spun around on the stool. "Frankly, I'm happy for you, Doc. You've made a good life for yourself."
Lauren nodded self-consciously. "Yeah, it's good." A hush settled over her and she pulled a piece of pineapple from the tray. "How about you?"
Kenzi tapped her fingers on the countertop. "Oren is playing hard to get with his heart, but I'm confident I can convince him to take me back."
"He didn't welcome you back with open arms, huh?"
"Not exactly." Kenzi's bravado shrank to infinitesimal proportions and her fear stood up to be counted.
Lauren slid off the stool and walked over to her friend. "He loves you, Kenz," she said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "He'd be hurting himself as much as you to deny you back in his life."
Kenzi sighed. "He's stubborn."
"Just let go; trust him," she said, moving to the cabinets on the far wall. She picked two mugs from the shelf and lined them up on the counter.
"I do," Kenzi said. "I mean, I only trust you more."
Lauren laughed and filled their mugs from the carafe on the island. "It's time to take off the training wheels, Kenzi."
"I beg your pardon, I'm a big girl."
Lauren passed Kenzi a mug. "Then have the courage to love him back," she said. "Don't let him pass you by-don't cheat yourself like that."
Kenzi smirked as Lauren sipped the coffee. "Never thought I'd be taking relationship advice from the same woman who thought hooking up with Violette was a good idea."
"That's in the past," she said, pointing at the young woman.
"Well, you definitely upgraded, Doc." Lauren rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Bo really seems like she treats you well."
"She does." Lauren nodded. "I'm very happy."
"I want that," Kenzi said, reaching for a strawberry. "Why can't I let myself have that?"
"It's a leap of faith, you have to commit or fall flat on your face."
"Or both in my case."
Lauren sipped her coffee. "Now it feels like you're just being difficult."
"Says she, resisting her own Coronation," Kenzi mocked.
"That's different and you know it."
Kenzi put her hands up in surrender. "All right, but don't you think you should talk to Bo?"
"I am. I mean, I will." Lauren sighed. "There just hasn't been a good time with the Vex and Evony situation."
"Mm-hmm," Kenzi smirked around the fruit in her mouth. "Famous last words."
"Vex!" Evony's voice rippled through the darkened room. She sat in an ancient chair, broken and dusty from the years forgotten. There were a few torches lit, hanging in iron brackets on the wall, giving a slightly more ominous atmosphere than her headquarters in the Outlands.
"You rang?" Vex hung into the doorway with one hand on the molding. He swung around and began tightrope walking up the aisle towards her.
Evony crossed her arms. "Where is that thief?" she demanded. "How long do I have to wait to see this plan through?"
"Calm your tits, she'll be here." Vex stood before Evony. "You have absolutely no patience, love."
Evony's jaw clenched. "I have been imprisoned, assaulted, and humiliated, all at the hands of this succubus and her human harem." She grabbed a book from the pile next to her and threw it at the wall. "I need revenge."
Vex held his hands up. "Easy, Queenie," he said. "Why don't you pass the time with this little human?" He gestured at the second missing guard, Elliot, shackled to the legs of a massive wooden throne.
Evony looked over at the transfer who'd only just arrived at the castle days before her abduction. The smile that crawled across Evony's face frightened most, but Vex knew what she was going to do and he clapped his hands together.
"You're right," she agreed, turning her attention to Elliot. "I do have something to do until that street urchin arrives." She smiled at the soldier predatorily. "And when she does, our Human Queen will discover the true cost of love."
END PART EIGHT